If you managed to stick with The Walking Dead during its meandering, community-building episodes, you will have a better chance of getting a lot out of Paradise Z than those looking for an ass-kicking zombie onslaught.
Two young woman are enjoying the luxurious surroundings of a tropical resort. Except they are the only people there and daily they have a wander around carrying a gun and a baseball bat. We discover through a radio broadcast that there are ‘infected’ people who are very contagious and bitey. Yep, there are zombies out there. Sylvia (Milena Gorum) and Rose (Alice Tantayanon) try their best to live a normal life, reading all the books, swimming in the pool, making their own art, and having the occasional fumble at night. That is until the outside danger invades their mundane lives.
For the first third of Paradise Z, you may be forgiven for thinking you’ve accidentally put on an episode of The Red Shoes Diary, the softcore offering from the ‘90s that was regularly on Channel 5 (yeah, don’t pretend you don’t remember it!). Once we get out and about with the girls as they forage for supplies like petrol to keep their cushy existence going, things pick up. With minimal dialogue, there’s a genuine tension built, with the rhythmic score doing all the lifting.
When the zombies do turn up, they are of the fast-moving type. They spring into action by sound, and appear to have kept some incredible motor skills, including using banisters to steady their way up staircases. It’s clear the budget didn’t stretch to elaborate gore effects, but it doesn’t matter as they become a real threat to the pair.
Paradise Z is the third re-titling of director and cinematographer Wych Kaosayananda’s film, and it’s not one that does it any favours. Viewers expecting a sun, sea, and zombie film will be disappointed, even when the undead turn up. There’s much more to enjoy here though as Kaosayananda’s lush photography (if you’ve seen his previous films such as One Night in Bangkok, you’ll get the idea) and measured pace allows a more thoughtful film to develop.
